Return
by the-mysterious-other
Summary: Humphrey's mother returns to Jasper Park with a warning but they are interrupted when Nick drags the pups back into the Cave.
1. Grandmother

**AN** **: Well, here's the new story! This is where things start getting interesting!**

* * *

In the depths of a cave in Jasper Park, a large crevasse sat quietly. Its sheer cliffs plummeted silently down into a heavy, undisturbed darkness.

However, that changed. Something had emerged from the darkness and was making its way up the smooth wall.

Finally, a paw emerged and clamped down on the slick floor. Rather than risk putting too much weight on it, the rest of the creature sprang up and out of the pit, having pushed off with its legs.

Slowly, in the eerie glow of the cave, the figure of a wolf rose to its legs. They were shaky and the wolf was bloody, its fur matted, but it was alive.

Nick threw his front paws in the air in a gesture of triumph. He had survived. His fall hadn't kill him and neither had the climb back up. He was filled with such self-pride that he now held himself even higher than he had before.

 _There'll be time to celebrate later,_ he thought as his paws returned to the ground, _Now, I need to get back to work._

He turned and walked away from the fissure that had nearly killed him. He would soon be back in the fresh air he had been denied for weeks. Then, he'd find his little helpers and they'd finish their work.

Whether they wanted to or not.

* * *

"Hello Humphrey."

The words had shattered the silence with a deafening force.

"Mom?" Humphrey repeated, as though he was trying to convince himself.

"Hello Kate." The wolf had now turned to her, smiling warmly.

"Hi," Kate replied, just as surprised as her mate.

Stinky opened his mouth as though to speak but couldn't find any words. He just left it hanging open for several awkward seconds before he remembered to close it.

"Mom?" Humphrey asked again.

The wolf chuckled. Though she too was grey, she didn't look particularly like her son. She was of a darker hue and was more uniform; however the fur on her head was also darker than the rest of her. Her eyes were green rather than blue.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" His mother seemed amused by her son and daughter-in-law's reaction.

"Yeah," Humphrey replied, "W-what are you doing here?"

"Can't a wolf stop by to see her family? One that's gotten bigger it seems." She had just then noticed the three pups staring up at her, dumfounded. She couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, yeah!" Humphrey exclaimed remembering the pups himself, "Mom, this is Stinky," he said pointing to the eldest, "Claudette, and Runt," he pointed to the other two as well.

The wolf looked at Kate, "Did you let him name them?"

Before Kate could reply, Humphrey cut in again.

"Why are you really here?"

"I told you."

"Mom, Every time I've seen you, you've been doing something. You're always running about chasing after something. You've never just shown up for a visit. You came here for a reason."

His mother sighed. "You are my son, aren't you? But, the reason can wait till morning. It's late and I think I'd like to get to know these three better," she gestured to the still silent pups.

"Just promise it won't be like last time," Humphrey said, smiling himself for the first time as he finally walked forward and hugged her.

"Why? Last time was fun, wasn't it?"

Runt was the first pup to find a voice and asked the question that had been on all three of their minds.

"Dad, you have parents?"

* * *

 **AN** **: I hope to update every couple of days but can't promise anything. It is likely that after this story I'll take a little break. I'm going to be starting college and it may take me a while to work out a routine. I think this story's going to be fun to write, hope you find it fun to read!**


	2. Déjà Vu

**AN** **: Here's chapter two! Not much to say about this one. I hope you enjoy still.**

* * *

"Well, yeah," Humphrey replied, "Technically, I do. But I'm only on good terms with my mother here, and even that took a while."

"So, you're really our grandmother?" Stinky asked the new wolf.

"Yes, I am," she replied.

"What about your father?" Claudette asked Humphrey.

Humphrey cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable. "Well, he's alive too but, well… I hate him with every fiber of my being. Moving on," Humphrey quickly changed the subject, "how have you been Mom?"

The rest of the night passed exchanging pleasantries and rather shallow versions of recent events. The pups couldn't help but feel as though both their parents and their grandmother were leaving things out or skipping over them. The way they looked at each other suggested they would fill in the details later.

Soon the conversation turned to the pups. Their grandmother wanted to know everything about them: what they liked to do, who their friends were, and so on.

As the night grew darker and everyone grew tired, Humphrey offered to have his mother spend the night which she accepted. The six of them slept soundly.

* * *

The next day, the pups were sent out so their parents and grandmother could talk in private. Despite their protests, they couldn't convince their parents to let them stay.

Once outside, they began to speculate about what they were discussing.

"Maybe she's dying," Runt suggested.

"Come on Runt," Claudette said, "We just met her, don't try to kill her off!"

"Yeah," Stinky agreed, "She's pretty cool. I see where dad gets it from."

"What about his dad? Why didn't he want to talk about him?" Runt asked.

"Who knows?" Stinky replied.

"Maybe that's what they're talking about," Claudette ventured, "Maybe he died or something and his mother came to tell him."

"If he is dead, she didn't seem too broken up about it. She didn't seem sad at all," Stinky said.

"Well, when Dad was talking about all the times they'd met her before, he always made it sound like she was alone. He didn't even talk about his dad," Claudette pointed out.

"I really hate it when they leave us out of stuff," Runt growled, "Why shouldn't we know!"

"They just want to protect us," Claudette replied, "They _think_ it's what's best for us."

"After what's happened to us recently, you'd think they'd feel more comfortable talking to us about serious stuff! We were kidnapped!"

"And then your dreams tried to kill you!" Stinky added.

"What?" Claudette asked.

Runt shook his head while Stinky did a face-paw. He had forgotten that they had never told Claudette about that one.

"What are you talking about?" Claudette persisted.

"I may have been hit by a booby trap in the cave that gave me horrible nightmares where whatever happened to me in them was happening to me in real life. It's why I went back to the cave, to find a cure."

"You said you were just having ordinary nightmares!" Claudette exclaimed, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I only told Stinky because he wouldn't leave it alone! I didn't tell anyone else! And, if it makes you feel better, I didn't tell Stinky that, on my way there, Shadow tried to kill me!"

"You mean that wolf the appeared during all of those killings?"

"She tried to kill you?" Stinky asked.

"Yeah, I got away, got to the cave, fell asleep, had a weird dream with some wolf who told me where the cure was, and came out just as you guys were arriving." Runt was out of breath from his description of events.

"And you didn't tell us any of this? We're supposed to be siblings!" Stinky exclaimed.

Runt sighed. "I just wanted to put it all behind me," he said, "Now, can we?"

"Actually, I have something I haven't told anyone," Claudette sighed. Before she could continue, all three were suddenly lifted up off the ground and suspended in a makeshift net of dead grass tied into a rope.

"Well, well, well," a familiar voice cooed, "time to get back to work."

All three of the pups gasped at once.

"Nick!"

* * *

In less than an hour, the pups found themselves back in the Cave with Nick. It was an unwanted sense of déjà vu as they trudged down the smooth, half-lit tunnel.

"Didn't you die?" Runt asked.

"No, I fell down a seemingly endless fissure, that didn't mean I was dead," he replied.

"I think it usually does," Claudette growled.

"Well, I guess I'm just lucky then."

"You won't be lucky when our parents find you," Stinky said, "You were better off falling down that thing than dealing with our mother."

Nick chuckled to himself. He had rather missed the pups' company while he was climbing back up. Then again, he missed any kind of company.

"You know, I thought I was going to go insane climbing up for what seemed like forever. I didn't, of course."

"Yeah," Runt was getting angrier by the second, "'cause you're already insane!"

"There is a fine line between genius and crazy," Nick retorted.

"Yeah, and you're so far over that line it's over the horizon." Claudette too was furious.

"What is it about this cave anyway?" Stinky asked, "Why are you so obsessed with it?"

"The cave leads to something incredible. Something that will give me everything I have ever wanted. When I first learned of it, I realized it was what I had been looking for my whole life."

"Ok, I'm changing what I said," Claudette began, "you are so far past that line, you've traveled all the way around the world and lapped it, twice."

"You think you're _so_ clever," Nick growled, "if you're not careful, I might throw you off that cliff when we get there."

"So long as you don't trip again," Runt teased.

"I didn't trip! The ground gave way beneath me and I couldn't get a grip in time!"

"Guys, we should probably stop," Stinky said, earning him confused looks from his siblings. "If we don't stop, we might hurt his feelings and send him running home to his mommy!"

To their surprise, Nick laughed at this.

"You think that your little insults can hurt me? I grew up being chastised and mocked! It was all I knew until the fateful day I realized that I was more than those stupid, barbaric wolves that I had been forced to cohabitate with!"

"You shouldn't have done that Stinky," Runt whispered, "I think he's got mother issues."

Nick rambled on about himself until they reached that fateful crevasse.

"After you," Nick said with a wicked smile.

* * *

 **AN** **: It's like being back in my first story! Let's see how much I can change it up in the next chapter. I leave for college in a week and hope to finish this story before that. Until the next chapter!**


	3. Back in the Cave

**AN** **: Here's chapter three. Will we finally learn what's in the Cave?**

* * *

The adults had spent a good deal of time explaining the recent goings on in Jasper Park that they didn't want to tell the pups. Such as the creature that had been killing wolves and taking their shape.

Finally, the topic of why Humphrey's mother had come could not be avoided any longer.

"So, why did you come, Helen?" Kate asked.

"Well, I heard something that concerned you all and knew I should tell you…"

"Excuse me?"

The three wolves turned to see Feet poking his head into the entrance to their den.

"Do you guys know where Claudette is?" he asked.

"Um, no Fleet," Kate replied, "All three of them left an hour ago."

"Oh, they were just supposed to meet me and Magril in the valley half an hour ago."

Kate and Humphrey looked at each other as the same thought passed through their heads. The pups, especially not Claudette, would stand up Fleet and his sister. Something was wrong.

* * *

"So, they were walking this way," Kate said, her nose low to the ground as she tried to sniff out the pups. Normally, she and Humphrey would not be so worried. It was possible that the pups had merely lost track of time. However, after recent events, neither wanted to take any chances. "And, they met someone else."

"Who?" Helen asked.

"What?" Humphrey found it was the automatic response now.

"It's familiar," Kate told them, eyes closed in concentration. It was possible that the memory was one of only a few that were still to return to her. Her eyes widened when it hit her. "Nick!"

Humphrey gasped and, to their surprise, so did his mother.

"But he fell off that cliff in the Cave!" Humphrey said.

"He must have survived," Kate replied, "And if he took the pups, then there's only one place they'd be!"

"The Cave," Helen said knowingly.

"How do you know about the cave?" Humphrey asked her.

"Let's just say it's well known in certain circles, and so is Nick."

"He won't hurt the pups," Kate said, "I think his bark's worse than his bite."

"Besides, who's going to be his minesweepers if he did," Humphrey added.

In silent agreement, the three went off in the direction of the cave, glad that they had sent Fleet home, saying that Kate's parents might have roped them in to doing something. And even gladder that he believed it.

* * *

"Are you crazy? We can't jump that," Stinky yelled.

"I think we already covered that he's crazy," Claudette whispered to him.

"You're not going to jump," Nick replied, "I'm going to throw you."

"You're going to throw us off the cliff?" Runt exclaimed.

"No, I'm going to throw you over to the other side! I still need you! Now, who's first?"

"I'm oldest," Stinky said bravely, "I'm first."

"So?" Claudette growled, "I'm perfectly capable of going first!"

Runt buried his face in his paws. Were they really fighting about who was going to be thrown across a giant fissure by a crazy wolf first?

 _Am I really related to them?_ He asked himself silently.

"Ok, fine," Nick sighed, "The small one goes first."

"I am not _that_ small!" Runt exclaimed.

Instead of answering, Nick bent down and caught his scruff in his teeth. Runt found himself dangling in the air. Nick swung his head back the way they came and then, with great force, back towards the abyss, letting go of Runt as he did so.

The grey pup was sent flying across the dark pit, landing with a thud on the other side. He lifted himself to his paws and glared back across at Nick.

"Who's next?" he asked.

Stinky and Claudette were both staring out across the fissure at Runt in shock. Neither felt like volunteering now.

"Ok then, Itchy was it? You're next."

Stinky then found himself soaring across the darkness before crashing into the other side with a little less space between him and the gap than his lighter brother. He had barely gotten to his paws when Claudette landed on top of him.

Nick took several steps back before running forward and launching himself over the crevasse. He landed with ease on the other side. Smiling he looked at each one.

"Good," he said, "Looks like you're all fit to continue. We best be moving. Who knows what kind of traps are on this side."

Humphrey, Kate, and Helen had raced across the park to the Cave. Without hesitation, they passed through the ominous air that sat in the entrance and proceeded into the Cave, guided by its strange, glowing walls.

They barreled through the darkness with no regard for the booby traps Nick claimed were there. Either he had seriously misjudged how many there were or the group was just extremely lucky but no traps were sprung.

It was not long before they arrived at the crevasse where they had believed Nick had perished. Following the scent of their pups, Humphrey and Kate threw themselves to the other side of the gaping hole. Helen was not far behind.

* * *

"What?"

The pups stared up at the wall they had come across with mixed confusion and disappointment. After all they had been through, they had been expecting something a little more impressive.

"What?"

They had been traveling at a good pace and hadn't run into any more booby traps. Suddenly, the Cave had ended.

"What?"

"I guess you were wrong," Stinky said triumphantly to Nick, who had been having trouble processing the situation.

"What?"

"There's nothing here," Claudette said slowly, "you were wrong."

"What?" Now Nick sounded on the brink of tears.

"Sorry," Runt said, "I guess you came all this way for nothing."

"No," Nick whispered. He couldn't believe it. Not only was _he_ wrong, but it wasn't here. What he had spent so long looking for wasn't where it should be. "But, it's where I belong."

Even the pups could help but feel sorry for him when they heard how pitiful his voice had become.

"Hey, you!"

The pups all turned to see their parents and grandmother walking up to the group. None of them looked happy.

"Well, if everyone would look straight ahead," Humphrey began, "you'll see the marvelous, beautiful… Wall! That's right folks, here it is. Wasn't it worth the trip?"

Humphrey's mocking didn't seem to reach Nick's ears. He just sat there, slouching continually lower. He seemed small for the first time.

"I was wrong."

* * *

 **AN** **: Well, there you have it. A strange cave with glowing walls and weird traps has absolutely nothing at the end. Could it be that easy? We'll see. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Chapter four will be up in the next couple of days.**


	4. Between a Rock and a Wall of Death

**AN** **: To be honest, I don't really like this chapter. I wrote it in a hurry and know it isn't my best work. Still, I hope you all enjoy it! I'll be sure to make the next one better.**

* * *

"Uh, guys," Runt began.

"Not now Runt," Kate said, "We have to deal with Nick."

"Guys," Runt began again.

"Runt, listen to your mother," Humphrey said.

"Mom, Dad, I'd listen to him," Claudette said.

"Claudette, we're busy," Kate said sternly.

"But-" Stinky began.

"Really guys, later!" Humphrey echoed his mates tone.

"No, I'd listen to them," Helen, who had turned to see what the pups had been looking at, suggested.

Humphrey caved and looked over his shoulder. "Kate."

Kate turned to see what everyone else was had been looking at. She forgot all about Nick.

Their way out had been cut off by a translucent wall. It rippled and shimmered like it was made of water but it was dark. It was slowly creeping towards them.

"Well, there's a booby trap," Runt said in a high pitched voice.

Nick was still unresponsive as the strange wall moved closer. All of his hopes and dreams had been dashed, what did he care if he lived or died?

"What is it?" Stinky asked.

"Nothing good," Helen replied.

Kate picked up a rock and chucked at the approaching barrier. It passed straight through the substance. However, it wasn't in the same condition on the other side. Through the half-transparent wall, the group could see the dust that had once been the rock floating down to the floor.

"What do we do?" Claudette was on the verge of panicking, just like her siblings.

"Ok," Kate said firmly, "Everyone stay calm! Any ideas?"

"We dig through solid rock and come out the other side," Suggested Humphrey in a half-joking, half-panicked tone.

"Not the time Humphrey!" Kate snapped.

"There must be some way out," Helen said, "Some way to turn it off or get out."

"The walls," Runt suggested, "There might be some hidden switch in the walls or something." He remembered the liquids in the wall that had tried to kill and later save him.

With no better ideas, the wolves began to frantically search the walls, pressing against every square inch remaining on their side of the barrier. Nothing happened. Soon, they would be forced against the back wall where they could only wait for the end.

"There's nothing here!" Humphrey yelled.

"Pups get back!" Kate ordered, shoving them away from the ever-closing barrier.

They ended up in a heap several inches from the back wall. Runt was the closest, his face nearly touching it. He stared at the dull, dark wall that had been waiting for them, prepared to give them their reward for venturing into the Cave against all of the warnings.

 _Wait a second_ , Runt thought, a realization dawning on him, _It's dark and rough! It's not glowing like the others! Why? Maybe…_

He stuck out his paw and pressed it against the wall. To his surprise, his paw passed through it like it wasn't even there. Runt beamed at his discovery.

"Nick!" he yelled over at the despondent wolf, "The wall isn't real!"

Upon hearing those words, Nick's eyes lit up.

Without a word, he grabbed the pups and threw them through the fake wall. They landed on the other side and could see in perfect clarity what was happening past it.

Nick grabbed Helen, who was the closest to him, and shoved her through the illusion. She landed with a grunt. Nick then grabbed Kate and Humphrey and dragged them back. He threw himself and them through the image of the wall.

"What?" Kate asked to no one in specific, "But, there was a wall there!"

"It wasn't real," Nick explained, "it was just an image projected to make us think there was."

"We should probably get moving before that thing catches up with us," Humphrey pointed out.

"Wait," said Runt, "I think it'll…"

Before he could finish, the deadly wall passed into the fake wall and vanished. There was no trace of it. However, there was no guarantee that it wouldn't reappear when they crossed back over. No one wanted to check, even though they knew they had to.

"Seeing as you're the reason we're all down here," Kate growled at Nick, "Why don't you see if it really is gone?"

Nick swallowed hard but moved forward. He stuck his finger passed the barrier but nothing happened. He then completely crossed over and looked back, still alive.

All of the wolves were looking at him from the other side. Stinky was sticking his tongue out at him, still behind the protection of the fake wall.

"I can see you Bitey," Nick said, "The wall's gone."

Stinky quickly put his tongue back in his mouth but growled, "It's Stinky!"

"That's what I said."

Runt and Claudette both turned to see where they were now. To their surprise, it was a cavern that glowed like the cave. At the center of the cavern sat a wolf. The very same wolf Runt had seen in his dream when he had returned for a cure.

"Guys!" Claudette hissed through clenched teeth. All of the others turned to her before following her gaze.

The wolf spoke.

"I admire your courage for getting this far. You have navigated our many traps and deterrents. However, you shall go no further. We only want to be left in peace! Grant us that one wish, or face the consequences."

With that, she was gone.

* * *

 **AN** **: Talk about a lucky brake! And it's that wolf again! Again, I'm sorry if this isn't the best chapter I've ever written. Only one more chapter to go! I'll be sure wrap it up nicely. See you then!**


	5. Upwards

**AN** **: Here it is, the final chapter. I hope you've all enjoyed the story!**

* * *

"Who was that?" Humphrey asked.

"She's the wolf from my dream," Runt said quietly, "The one that helped me."

Kate and Humphrey were about to ask their son what he had meant but Nick started talking before they could.

"I don't buy it!" he exclaimed.

"Buy what?" Helen asked.

"She tried to deter us from going any further…" Nick began.

"Or else we'll 'face the consequences'," Humphrey quoted.

"Yes,' Nick agreed, annoyed that he had been cut off, "But we could have been amply deterred before this point! These caves are supposed to be littered with traps! We've only run into two!"

"Three," Runt coughed.

Again, his parents were about to ask him to clarify only to be cut off by Nick once more.

"Why would there only be a couple of traps? If what's down here is so important, why wouldn't they fortify it more?" Humphrey asked, taking the words from Nick's mouth.

"Maybe they saved the heavier stuff for later on," Kate suggested.

"No," Helen shook her head, "If you want to keep wolves out of somewhere, you don't kill them-"

"-You scare them," Runt finished.

"If they're dead," Claudette added, "They can't warn other wolves to stay away."

"And more wolves would come in looking for them," Stinky said.

"So, do you think she's bluffing?" Humphrey asked.

"No," Nick replied, "I'm sure there are things down there that will kill. But we should have run into more of the less lethal traps on our way here. Something's off."

"Less lethal?" Stinky exclaimed, "One of those traps almost killed Runt! His dreams almost killed him!"

This time, Kate and Humphrey weren't interrupted. Most likely because Nick and Helen both joined them.

"What?"

Runt swallowed but knew it had become relevant. The Cave wasn't behind him yet, and to continue forward, they needed to know. He sighed and explained the events following their first foray into the Cave.

"That's really why I came back," he said, "I was looking for a cure. When I got here, I fell back asleep and that wolf was in my dream. She told me where to find the cure, or, I guess she just kinda put the place in my head so I could find it."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kate exclaimed, "We're your parents, we're supposed to help with this kind of thing!"

"I really didn't want to keep thinking about it," Runt said, looking down.

"Am I the only one who's still wondering what is actually down here?" Claudette yelled, snapping everyone's attention back.

Nick smiled. "Let's go see."

With a well delivered blow from Kate to the back of his head, Nick crumpled. He lay on the Cave floor in a heap, one of his rear paws was twitching.

"I don't think so," she growled.

* * *

It took a good deal of effort, but they were able to drag Nick's unconscious body back up to the ravine where all three adults had to work together to gather enough energy to send Nick to the other side. After him went the pups, once again thrown. Kate, Humphrey, and Helen came across last.

A little while later, all seven wolves were back in open air. Every so often, Nick would make a noise. Other than that, no one spoke. They all needed a break from the Cave and whatever was inside of it.

Runt was sure he was going to be grounded for not telling his parents about what had happened to him. He had only wanted to forget about everything that had happened. Now, he knew that wasn't possible. Between his parents, grandmother, and Nick, the Cave would be a topic of discussion for a long time to come.

Claudette was also troubled. She hadn't wanted to add to the drama and thus kept from telling anyone about the wolf that had approached her the other day. She couldn't help but wonder if he was a part of all of this as well. She just wanted to go back to before Nick had come, back to when life was simple and normal.

Stinky was still trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened. It didn't make any sense. It didn't follow any logic, it was almost as if the Cave just spat out random events to tease the wolves trying to make a pattern out of them.

Kate and Humphrey were equally disturbed by the recent events. They couldn't talk in front of the pups but knew they would have to discuss what was going on down there. Humphrey turned to Kate and mouthed one word to convey a topic to discuss.

"Shadow."

She nodded. With a quick glance around her and a shrug to reposition the unconscious wolf between them, she reached over to nuzzle him. They both needed a break too.

* * *

Nick was deposited in an empty cave and Kate posted a guard outside. He was awake but didn't protest. He neither seemed disappointed or ecstatic. There was an almost calming air about him.

Helen, Humphrey, and Kate left, ordering the pups to come with them. They stayed behind for a second though.

"You're going to escape, aren't you?" Runt asked quietly so the guard wouldn't hear them.

"Yes, tomorrow," Nick replied.

"And you're going back to the Cave?" Stinky asked.

"I can't stop now."

The pups all looked at each other and knew they were in agreement.

"We're with you," they said in unison.

Nick nodded. "You can't stop until you've seen it to the end?"

They nodded and left. They needed answers and, no matter how much they hated the idea, knew that only the Cave had them.

* * *

"You still haven't told us why you came here," Humphrey observed.

"Tomorrow," Helen replied, "It's late."

"I'm ok with that," Kate said.

The pups caught up and they all entered the den as the sun set over the park.

* * *

 **AN** **: Well, there you go. Did answer any questions? Probably not. If you want answers, you'll have to wait until I return with new stories! I don't know when that'll be but I'm hoping it'll be sooner rather than later. I want to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed my stories so far! You're all great!**


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